"Yeah, uhm...we're gonna need you to come into work tomorrow. I know, I know...it's 4:49 on a Friday and you're about to leave, but...we have a lot to do, so we're working this weekend. Oh, you have plans? Plans can be cancelled...I mean, it's not like your kid isn't going to go on to play professional baseball if they're just on some lowly city league. They're already too far behind. The best they will become is someone just like you who will one day work on Saturdays for a bigger cause. Oh, by the way...I know your property has been in your family for generations, but we lobbied local officials and we all agree that the town would benefit more from taxes once a strip mall is built there, so just remember: you're getting a fair price when we assert eminent domain. Seeya tomorrow..."

This week, we're talking about corporations! Here's the list of what we discuss:

• What was the first corporation you were aware of?
• What’s the first corporation you were a part of in any way?
• Do corporations have too much access to our daily lives?
• Do you trust corporations with your data?
• Do corporations have our best interests at heart?
• Are corporations soulless and evil, or are they sometimes good?
• What’s the best corporation you can think of?
• The worst?
• Which corporations figure into your daily life most?
• Do corporations own us? The government?
• Do you think corporations are too powerful?
• What’s the future of corporations?

Apparently the consequence of having a day job when there's a wicked cold going around the northern part of the Lone Star State is that you might catch that cold by going into the office.

The Gorillamen are in different stages of that cold, so please ignore any snarfiness in this episode. Also, we're just going to get straight to what we talked about this episode:

• When did you first learn there were consequences for certain actions?
• How much did consequences factor into your life when you were younger?
• How much do consequences factor into your life today?
• Do you think perceived consequences are often valid or are they overhyped?
• Neither of us have kids, but let's pretend we do. What consequences do you feel are most important to explain to a younger person?
• How does discipline factor into consequences?
• What is one lax action and consequence you wished you'd heeded more?
• What do you think about systems set up to measure results and force consequences (e.g. annual performance reviews)?
• Do you think it's effective to suggest to others ways to avoid negative consequences for their actions?
• As we rely on more tools (smart phones, apps, etc.) and institutions, what consequences come with that expansion of use?
• Do you think it's possible to live a life of few consequences?
• What consequences from the last decades do you think we will face in the not-too-distant future?

Look at that episode art! LOOK AT IT!!!

It's...super, right?! Shawn may not have the beard anymore, but his beard lives on in all our hearts. And Christopher...he's kinda super (for a crusty 50-year old!)

Hell, this episode was RECORDED on the day Gorilla Christopher turned 50.

So to keep the fleeting moment alive before entropy envelops him, you should listen to this episode!

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We kick it off with the first -- and last -- superhero movies we saw (and have seen). After that, find out our favorite (and least favorite) superhero movies.

We devote a little time to our best superhero movie experiences...and why we think superhero movies finally took hold in popular culture.

We chat a bit about if we prefer our superhero movies to match comics exactly, or deviate a bit...and then we discuss our favorite TV superhero shows.

Robert Pattinson as Batman has some slobbery geeks' undies all bundled around their pebbly nads. We give our thoughts on the latest Batman choice...and then talk about the superhero movie we'd love to see. (Gorilla Christopher forgot Justice League International...or an all out Booster Gold/Blue Beetle flick!)

As we approach the end, we talk about if we've experienced superhero movie burnout...and we wrap it all up with the future of superhero movies!

Yo! Like, we never tell you about how Men in Gorilla Suits has afforded us, the Gorillamen, ridiculous side cash!

You might think we do this out of love for just making the damn thing, but why make the damn thing if it doesn't make a lot of side money, right?

Men in Gorilla Suits has made us rich! Ridiculously so, but...we work day jobs just because it's funny for the show. Really, we're cutting-edge entrepreneurs, out there on the fringes of society, hustling all the time and making the fat stacks of Benjamins!

Or maybe not...

This week, we talk all about side gigs...

* * *

We kick it off with the first person we remember who had a side gig...and then talk about our own first side gigs.

We talk about the "gig economy" for a bit and if we're currently working any side gigs.

We devote a bit of time to the best and worst side gigs we've worked. After that, we chat about if things we do on the side today are strictly for money or other things.

If you listen to us regularly, you know we often talk about technology's effect on the chosen topic. We talk about how tech has influenced side gigs before chatting about the side gig we'd love to have.

But not all side gigs are good (in fact, many are terrible). We discuss them for a bit and then wrap it up with the future of side gigs.

Gorilla Christopher starts a new job this week, so let's get straight to what we talk about this week:

* * *

• What was the first toy you remember?
• What was the first toy you ever REALLY wanted?
• What was your favorite toy from childhood?
• What was the worst toy you ever owned?
• How important are toys to childhood development?
• What is the last toy you purchased?
• What do you think about adults rushing to collect toys before kids can get them? (Like Star Wars figures, Avengers figures…things like that!)
• Toys have changed quite a bit over the years. What is the most dangerous toy you once owned that they would probably not sell today?
• How has technology affected toys?
• Let's talk about the OTHER adult toys. Do you consider things like mini flamethrowers, GoPro cameras, and drones toys? (Or at least appeal to us as adults in the same manner toys appealed to us as kids?)
• In the world of podcasting, some refer to recording gear as toys. What is your favorite podcasting toy…and is there something else you'd really love having?
• What is the future of toys?

Working from home used to be the domain of fancy-pants novelists and snooty painters. Now, it's likely your schlub of a neighbor has worked from home. We say this with confidence, being those very schlubs.

Like anything, there are good and bad things about working from home. (Although Gorilla Christopher will argue it's all good.) Working from home is the topic of this week's Men in Gorilla Suits...recorded in our homes on a Sunday night...

* * *

We kick it off talking about how often we work from home and then jump to the first time we heard about people working from home. Then we move on to our first jobs that allowed us to work from home...followed by our best -- and worst -- working from home experiences.

We chat about if we're more or less productive when working from home...and if we tend to work more hours when we're not in the office.

It could be easy losing all sense of time working from home, so we talk about how we manage things without being in the office. And then we discuss the best and worst parts of working from home.

We devote a little time to funny working from home stories, and then wrap it all up with the future of working from home.

Men in Gorilla Suits automated show notes.

READY
> 10 print Butt
> 20 goto 10
> run_

[Laughter ensues…]

* * *

We begin with the first example of automation we remember seeing, and then move on to the most recent. After that, we chat about if we (and most people) could lose jobs to automated machines or algorithms.

What will humans do if machines and algorithms take over a significant number of jobs? We talk about that a bit before moving on to if automation frightens or bothers us.

Find out what automation we use at work and home...and where we stand on home automation.

And we wrap it all up with what the future of automation means for humanity.

You leave Radigast City at the break of dawn, traveling north until reaching an unnamed river. For days, the water is your guide as lush earth gives way to dreary moors and tangled thickets. Finally, in the distance, you see a white plume of smoke rising from a mountain in the distance.

Two miles from the volcano, you find a suitable cave in which to store your supplies.

"Dead Knoll's Eye Socket," your guide says. "This is where I take leave. Good luck."

With your traveling gear stored safely away, you make your way along unsettled the land, being careful to avoid any fissures venting steam. Levi, the party's thief, is the first to hear the mountain breathing. Once you all hear it, you realize it comes in a cycle: a thirty-second exhale of heat followed by a half minute of calm. The cave your guide said to seek now lies before you, about eight feet in diameter.

Suddenly, the whooshing breath of White Plume Mountain almost knocks you over. The torch Bautigan the Brave readied is extinguished by the blast of air. You have thirty seconds before the next wave of wind and steam comes your way.

What do you do?

Dungeons and Dragons. In the 80s, many claimed it was a tool of Satan. Today, it's a mainstream staple of pop culture. It's also this week's topic of Men in Gorilla Suits...

* * *

We roll initiative and discuss when we first became aware of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D). After that, we talk about when we played...and if we still play today.

We talk about why D&D has endured for 45 years...and how technology has affected the game in recent years.

Because we are geeks, we devote some time to our favorite D&D monsters, player classes, and races.

We mentioned the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, which many claimed was the worst thing about D&D. It never came to be (because there was nothing to worry about), but that doesn't stop us from chatting about the worst thing playing D&D can do to a person.

Dungeons and Dragons has become a pop culture staple, and we talk about our favorite appearance of the game in something we've watched or listened to.

And we wrap up this episode with two things:

1. Our favorite D&D memories.
2. What the future holds for D&D

Gorilla Christopher initially thought about opening Photoshop and adding your favorite podcasters' faces to images of celebrities known for parody and satire. But swapping faces with Weird Al looked like Christopher because he's apparently hair twins with the world's favorite accordion player. So that idea was scrapped.

And yes, obviously -- this week's topic: Parody and Satire.

* * *

We begin by talking about the first parody or satire we remember -- and then leap to the best work of satire in literature and film. After that, we discuss the funniest -- and worst -- works of parody we've come across.

Find out our preferences: parody or satire. (Or do we like each equally?) Also, we tell you where we stand on parody and comedic music in general.

If you've ever wondered if either of us have attempted to write satire or parody, this is your moment! And with the current climate ripe for satire, we talk about where to find it.

And, of course, we wrap it up looking toward the future, asking what parody and satire will be like in the years to come.

It is currently 53 degrees with mostly clear skies in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. Weekend lows will be in the 30s, with afternoon temperatures reaching 60 by Sunday afternoon. A perfect weekend for getting out and about!

This week, we're talking about the weather...specifically:

• What’s the first weather event you remember?
• What’s your ideal weather situation?
• What’s the most extreme weather situation you’ve lived through?
• What’s the scariest type of weather on the planet?
• What’s the worst type of weather, in your opinion?
• Is climate change a thing?
• Is weather a consideration in where you choose to live, or not to live as the case might be?
• Are you a weather-centric person? Does it affect your moods?
• What’s the future of weather on this planet?